Charles M. Loring was born in 1833. He was a mill owner and very civic minded individual. He was the first president of the Minneapolis Park Board. It was Charles Loring who had the idea for the Victory Memorial Drive to honor the Hennepin County war dead from World War I. He paid for the trees and gave money for the up-keep of the drive. He also pushed to have playgrounds built in the city so children had safe places to play. When the Minneapolis school district decided to build a school on the Victory Memorial Drive, it seemed only fitting to name it after Charles M. Loring.